The invention relates to a container for solid, paste-like, particulate and flowable products, particularly for food products, comprising a container bottom part for containing the products and a top part in the form of a container lid which includes a removable foil for opening the container closed by the container lid.
Such containers, which consist generally of plastic material and which are generally manufactured by injection molding, are commercially available for various applications and in various sizes. They are used in many shapes for all kinds of products, which are to be packaged hygienically, that is, in a sterilized fashion. Products, which are offered packaged in such containers in food stores are, for example, all types of milk products, meat and sausage products, but also vegetable and fruit products and prepared meals in refrigerated and non-refrigerated form.
Since such containers are mass-produced and are to contain the products referred to above in a hygienically, sterilized and air-tight fashion, their manufacture must be inexpensive to be acceptable in the marketplace, that is, to be used by the producers of the products and acceptable to the consumers. Furthermore, such containers have to satisfy various legal regulations concerning information as to the content, the composition of the product, the energy content of the product as well as information regarding manufacturing and expiration data. In certain countries, also information concerning compatibility of the product in the container etc. must be provided.
For this reason, such containers are usually provided with separate labels, which exhibit such information and other parameters which concern the product and are of interest to the consumer. Often, the name of the manufacturer and special trademarks are shown on the labels and the product contained within is depicted on the label, for example, the sausage product, the cheese product, a liver pate´ or similar products.
The separate labels have the disadvantage that the production costs are increased since, after the product has been filled into the container and the container has been closed, the label has to be applied to the container, the container lid, or to the container as well as to the container lid.
Another serious problem with such containers is the fact that upon opening of the container by removing of the lid, which is formed in the well-known yogurt and cottage cheese containers for example by an aluminum foil, the lid is not released at its edge areas but it is ripped so that the container can no longer be closed, not even provisionally, for storing any product remaining in the container. In another closure of such containers wherein an imprinted foil has been applied to the lid thereof, the foil may separate from the container lid when it is tried to open the lid while the connection between the container lid and the container remains intact that is the container cannot be opened in the way it is intended to be opened.
A third type of a container is known wherein, during the manufacture of the container lid in accordance with the method of the so-called “immobilized label” (IML), the foil, which forms the outer surface of the container lid is joined to the lid already in the injection molding tool and an outer edge area of the foil, which radially projects over the container lid, is connected to the container. But also, this type of container has the disadvantage that the foil area which is not reinforced at its outer circumference is ripped off during opening of the container in an uncontrolled manner so that, in the end, the container can finally be opened only by using some tool such as scissors or a knife. Of course, such a container lid cannot again be properly mounted so as to seal the container, not even provisionally, to protect any food still left in the container. Another disadvantage resides in the fact that, upon opening such a container, often spillage occurs whereby the consumers or users themselves are soiled.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a container of the type described above, which however does not have the disadvantages mentioned, that is, which is easy to open and, during opening of the container, the foil is not ripped off and is not damaged by the removal of the container lid, or, respectively, the top part of the container from the bottom part of the container, so that the lid can still be used for closing the container when, upon first opening the container, the product is not completely removed. The container should also be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and be usable for various packaging purposes.